appendix c: galling hypocrite bastard
by Phoenix Satori
Summary: a masterclass in misdirection: or, how ground zero germinates the seeds of REVENGE.
1. galling hypocrite bastard

WHERE DID THIS COME FROM WHY DOES THIS /**KEEP HAPPENING**/

takes place pretty much riiiiiight after the events of 'a feat equal,' so you'll...probably need to read that (and the rest of the series) first.

enjoy~!

* * *

**appendix C: galling hypocrite bastard**

(see also: 'absolute prick')

[the misconstrued indifference: half an hour following the Quirk Registry Incident]

/-/

Ochako's injuries present much like the injuries of someone suffering from 'crush syndrome,' which, given her profession and rescue specialization, she's naturally heard of, and once or twice even helped provide first-aid to mitigate. Largely unknown to her, however, is the grave breadth of the damage compression injuries can cause.

When Bakugou brings her to the hospital in the aftermath of the Quirk Registry Incident, after she's started on a program of intravenous fluids and 'alkaline diuresis' (whatever the hecky that means), Ochako learns she's riiiighton the cusp of major organ dysfunction and total renal failure; that she's sustained some severe, local tissue damage and an assortment of life-threatening metabolic abnormalities resulting from intracellular seepage and to a lesser extent, cellular death; that, for an indeterminate amount of time, she'll be at increased risk of potentially fatal cardiovascular events; and that the paralysis of her limbs may or may not last forever. Meaning: even if she survives everything else, her career as hero –as well as her ability to live her life independently— may be over.*

Oddly, in the moment, what she's most concerned about is Bakugou's reaction.

She's heard a lot of things, from a lot of different people, about the way Bakugou behaved after she nearly died last year, and she's spent a lot of time thinking about what it meant that he'd cried for her,** that he'd confessed to Deku it was 'his fault she was dying,' that he'd nearly vaporized her surgeon's face when he was told she wasn't gonna make it. Ultimately, beyond gaining the (insufficient) surety that Bakugou cares for her, ostensibly very deeply, nothing had come of any of it…'til now.

Now, after what'd happened on the roof of the Registry, after what she's positive he almost said…? She has no idea how he'll take this news.

But there's no shade o' particular nuance to the grim-faced glower Bakugou's wearing; it's just…his neutral, default scowl. By all appearances, he's simply listening, noddin' along where necessary as he absorbs her bleak prognosis, seeming remarkable disaffected-like, and wholly unperturbed. Somehow, in a numb, detached kinda way, this's more upsetting to her than the prognosis itself.

When the lead doctor, a no-nonsense older woman whose vivid rainbow-streaked hair looks as though it's been dipped in monochrome at the roots, recommends an extended stay for intensive 'ECG monitoring' to respond to any potential cardiac irregularities and advises that if her overall condition worsens, surgery and/or amputationmay become the required course for treatment, molten dread flashes cold through Ochako's veins as it finally dawns on her there's a real chance everything's about to change, that she may have to scrap her old life and build a new one from scratch.

Bakugou's smearin' impassive through her tears with the pad of his thumb before she proper realizes she's sheddin' any, and she flinches, startled at the touch –her doctor and a gaggle of wide-eyed interns are standing right there, and the walls in public spaces always have ears (and/or the odd quirk-furtive recording device), and anyway, since when's PDA a thing he goes in for?

Then, responding to her unspoken terror: "Doctors're a stop-gap measure, Sweetness," he explains, matter-of-fact, fully disregarding the awkwardly quiet group of highly-trained medical professionals he's insulting (why oh why is he like this?), "bygone-era holdovers. Try not to forget this entire shithole planet's crawling with deus ex fucking superpowers."

Initially, she thinks he's implying they should pull Eri in to help her, and she forgets in her alarm to censure him for his rudeness.

"No," she forbids, shaking her head, glad she can still do at least that much, "I won't put Eri-chan through that kinda ordeal ever again." Ochako's incredibly proud of and forever grateful for Eri coming to her rescue last year, but Eri's too-young shoulders weren't made for repeatedly bearing the responsibility of another person's life –a heavier burden by half than heftin' a skyscraper could ever be, and not one Ochako'd consent to puttin' on someone she cherishes. In the end, if something were to go wrong, the person left suffering the most would be Eri, and that's not a risk she's willing to take.

Bakugou frowns.

"Don't be an idiot. I'm not talking about the kid."

"Eri-chan," she insists, frowning right back.

Rolling his eyes, "Just sayin', there's a big wide world of ass-pull quirks out there, waiting to be put to extraordinary fuckin' purpose. Nerd and I'll scrounge some up while you stay put and work on keeping your kidneys intact." Ochako's eye twitches involuntarily.

"Sure, yeah, I'll just…do that," she mumbles, dismissive.

"**Oi**," Bakugou prompts, glaring down at her, and she's ready to lash out at him for being an inconsiderate jerkwad 'til he tips her chin up with his pointer finger, compelling her to look at him, and she catches the glint in his crimson gaze, n' the whole dang dying star's worth o' nuance underlyin' it, which she'd missed from a profile-view.

So…maybe not disaffected, then.

Ochako sees impatience, and the same implacable certainty he'd shown her in that suspended moment she decided she was gonna have to float the Registry or die trying –except, unlike then, this time there's a bright glaze o' fear smolderin' in his expression, and an overlay of…irritation? Disapproval?

Because apparently he can be cavalier about the seriousness of her condition, but she can't? Possibly he thinks he's earned it, for bein' her beacon of unwavering faith when she lost herself to the pure, brutalizing agony of overclockin' her quirk and couldn't muster any on her own account?

Either way, she can plainly tell what he's after: reassurance, some sign or affirmation that she understands she's not allowed to deteriorate further 'til he's had the opportunity to 'scrounge up' however many 'ass-pull quirks' it takes to fix her. Also either way, Bakugou Katsuki's a galling hypocrite bastard, 'cause not half an hour ago, he was up her butt about wantin' the same from Deku!

Nevertheless…he's done a lot for her tonight, and it seems awful clear he's intending on doin' more still before the night's through –and both of 'em have been put through the wringer, emotionally-speaking, so, though she in no way forgives his disrespectful, reprehensible, n' downright uncalled-for behavior toward her doctor (and by extension, her doctor's fanned-out lil' army of interns) and absolutely means to dress him down for it, she supposes she can afford this one, small appeasement first.

"I'll be fine," Ochako vows, earnest, although obviously that's not somethin' she's got any actual control over, "I promise."

With a devastating grin, "That's my girl."

'That's my girl,' he says, like she hasn't just been warned her odds of dying suddenly of a freak heart attack are way, way up. The throbbing tightness in her chest doesn't set off any monitors, though, and none of their audience're flockin' around her or racing for crash carts, so she's…prob'ly okay?

Or at least that's what she thinks 'til he replaces the finger at her chin with the slow glide of his palm across her jaw, holdin' her gently in place while he leans down and kisses her square on the lips –in front of everyone holy crap what is he **doing**!—

"I'll be back," he whispers into her ear, breath tickling her skin.

And then he simply…walks away, leaves her there with her mouth hanging open in shock and her heart squeezin' fit to burst.

/-/

Following an embarrassingly long moment of stunned silence, Ochako remembers there're other people in the room, and snaps her focus back to her doctor, whose furrowed, multi-color brow suggests she's Not Amused.

Ochako spends the next several minutes soothing her doctor's ruffled feathers (while attempting to ignore the gallery of alternatively astonished an' beaming, delighted faces arrayed in a loose configuration behind the cross woman), mentally cursing Bakugou for forsakin' her to clean up his mess and swearin' to herself he'll rue the day.

* * *

THIS SERIES IS OFFICIALLY OUT OF CONTROL THIS ENTIRE INSTALLMENT WAS ONLY MEANT TO BE THE OPENING FEW PARAGRAPHS OF THE SMUT BUT THERE WAS A FULL LITTLE ONE-SHOT TUCKED UP IN THEM GUTS AND OH MY GLOBGOR WHAT IF THAT MEANS THERE'S ANOTHER ELEVEN FUCKING CHAPTERS WORTH OF MATERIAL IN THE PORN I'M CURSED I'M GOING TO BE WRITING KACCHAKO FOREVER ON MY DEATHBED MY UNGRATEFUL PROGENY AND THEIR BROOD OF UNVACCINATED HELLSPAWN ARE GOING TO GATHER 'ROUND WHATEVER DILAPIDATED THATCHED MAT I'M ROTTING AWAY ON TOP OF TO SUMMON THE DEMON THAT FINALLY KILLS ME AND THE WHOLE TIME MY BLIND ARTHRITIC ASS IS GONNA BE DICTATING THE 'FOR REAL LAST BIT OF THE FLOATY 'SPLODEY SERIES I MEAN IT THIS TIME I SWEAR' TO GERTA, MY MICROSOFT WORD A.I.-

*ahem*

i suppose this does kinda tee up the porn, so it's not...totally superfluous...?

/-/

* 'crush syndrome' is very much a real thing, and compression damage can indeed inflict all of the above-mentioned horrors on the human body.

**ohohohohoooo yes, uraraka knows bakugou cried for her. AS IF URARAKA'S MOM WOULD'VE KEPT THAT GOLDEN NUGGET TO HERSELF. URA-MAMA KNOWS GOOD AND WELL HOW HER BBY FEELS ABOUT OUR LORD OF EXPLODOKILLS (because someone is honest about their feelings, bakuho), AND SHE CONFIRMED IN THE HOSPITAL THE LENGTHS BAKUGOU WAS WILLING TO GO FOR HER DAUGHTER AND THE DEPTH OF FEELINGS HE DEEEEEFINITELY SEEMED TO RECIPROCATE, AND SINCE THEN SHE HAS BEEN IN IT TO WIN IT.

other notes:

-BE KIND TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS.  
-let me just say: i do *not* think bakugou would be a dick to hospital staff on the regular. he's just...fried, emotionally and physically; he's done with anything that can't guarantee uraraka back at 100% instantaneously; and he's secretly freaking the fuck out (on the inside, at least) about her prognosis. and i don't think any of us are strangers to the fact that bakugou's fear has a habit of manifesting as misdirected rage and/or cruelty, so. tl;dr, last time he tried to *kill* uraraka's doctor, and this time he only mortally insulted the entire medical profession in front of a small collection of people who've devoted their lives to said profession, so...um...yay, progress? he's improving...?  
-see ya' next time, chums~


	2. an irresistible gravity

next installment of the Fic That Wasn't Meant to Be, But Somehow Still Is, Probably Because Someone's Definitely Using Blood Magic!

enjoy~!

* * *

A _lot_ happens in the week after the Incident.

/-/

The news that Uravity and Ground Zero are an item breaks within _minutes_ of Bakugou leaving, and goes viral instantly. Ochako avoids most of the fallout by virtue of being paralyzed and confined to her hospital room, but Deku loops her in the following morning, eyes wet with emotion and smile _aglow_.

Her…._preoccupation_ with Bakugou's been an open secret between them for almost as long as she's been aware of it herself, yet they've never talked about it in any other'n the most abstract possible terms. She can't say _why_ she's played it so close to the vest all this time, either; just, she could never quite summon the nerve to bring it up, and Deku somehow knew not to ask.

But now, apparently: "It's _everywhere_, Ochako-san," he relays, practically vibrating with excitement, meaning it's prob'ly pointless to try and deny it –not that she would or even _could_, not with Deku, "everyone's either speculating about the evacuation and the Registry's disappearance or trying to figure out how you managed to 'tame' Kacchan." Deku's laughter fills her with a schoolgirl giddiness she hasn't felt since…well, since maybe the _first_ time she kissed Bakugou on the job.

She's more eager than she expects to finally be able to talk about this with her best friend, such that when she opens her mouth to run him through the highlights from last night, she instead ends up spilling her guts about _everything_ –from that fateful afternoon three years ago to Bakugou callin' her by name and kissin' her in front of her whole team of doctors, the lattermost o' which, Deku surmises, is what's no doubt fueling the surge of rumors crashing all the agency's social media accounts and eatin' up the airwaves on every news program and variety show in Japan.

(Ochako doesn't, however, tell him what she _knows _Bakugou was gonna say up on the roof. That's just for her, at least 'til Bakugou finishes the thought.)

She spends most of the morning runaway gabbin' at Deku about how pleasantly surprising it is that Bakugou apparently has no interest in hiding this as-yet-undefined _Thing_ happening between them; about how long and how much she's wanted this; about how _amazing_ it feels that Bakugou seems to want this, too, maybe even as much as she does.

But she also admits she's terrified she could wake up any minute and find out none of it's real, that the events of the past twenty-four hours've all been some wild –if _vivid_—delusion. Or, worse, now that the adrenaline's worn off, what if Bakugou decides he's made a huge mistake, and changes his mind?

Deku's smile rumples softly as he takes and squeezes her numb, pinky-thimbled hand. That she can't feel the familiar warmth or weight of his hand against hers is a little tragedy all its own.

"Ochako-san," he chides, "it's not a mistake, and we both know Kacchan's mind is…not a thing that changes easily." And Deku's right, of course; Bakugou's personality might give people the impression he's impetuous, but in reality, his every action is grounded in thoughtful circumspection. Once he makes up his mind about something, it tends to _stay_ made up.

Unfortunately, insecurities can't reasoned with, and Ochako's anxieties linger, simmerin' at a low boil.

Perhaps sensing this's the case, Deku switches things up, informs her the Mayor's already floated the idea of giving her an award for 'outstanding service rendered unto the citizens of Eisley Ward,' and congratulates her –wryly, on account o' he knows from first-hand experience how awkward those ceremonies can be, but with an underlyin' sincerity for the feat itself. It cheers her up, a bit.

Then, Deku explains the Powers That Be've got 'em all operating under a strict gag order regarding the Registry 'til the government has an opportunity to investigate and interrogate Malware.

Immediately in a panic, "Deku-kun, please, you have to—!" He holds up his hands in a placating gesture.

"Don't worry, I'll be there," he vows, "in the room, you have my word." They'd learned that horrifyin' lesson years ago, the hard way: to be present for all Tartarus interrogations, or risk their captured charges vanishing clear off the face of the earth. And considering her abilities and rap sheet, Ochako has no doubt Japan's most notorious super-max prison is exactly where Malware's headed.

Pacified by Deku's promise, Ochako settles, and they turn to talk of easier things, like Tenya's upcoming nuptials, and how much scarier Mei's going to be with a direct pipeline to the Iida family fortune.

For hours, because the company's good and the cocktail o' drugs they've got her on is better, she isn't super aware of the passage of time. But as afternoon transitions to early evening and there's still no sign of Bakugou, Ochako starts to get antsy.

Deku tries to distract her by letting her know her parents're on their way, which she _is_ glad to hear, but only fleetingly holds her attention. Deku assures her Bakugou's prob'ly busy chasin' down some leads he'd gotten in the wee hours of the morning on a handful of individuals around the globe with quirks that may help them get her back on her feet.

But Deku averts his gaze to flip the tv on when he tells her he's sure Bakugou'll turn up before the day's out, and suddenly she can't shake the feeling somethin's…_off_.

/-/

Ochako doesn't see Bakugou again for four days.

/-/

Days Two's a blur of activity.

Ochako's parents arrive to relieve Deku early in the day, by which time he's pushin' twenty-four hours of continuous, super stressful consciousness, visiting with her and coordinating the delivery of a mysterious package and stepping out every so often to take care of agency business. She can see he's in desperate need of rest. Her dad, also perceiving this, steers Deku gently to the too-small loveseat in the corner and refuses to let him leave without clockin' a few hours' sleep. Deku's sacked out and lightly snoring within a couple minutes of lyin' down.

Her nurses visit her often, closely monitoring her vitals and administering new treatments as they become necessary. Her mom wins her doctor over pretty much immediately, which Ochako hopes'll facilitate further 'cooling of the ice,' so to speak, in the wake of Bakugou's frost-makin' pronouncement about the usefulness of doctors. (Perhaps as a result of the olive branch her mom unknowingly extends, one among her interns –a short, nervous young man with no visible indicator of what his quirk might be—slips in around lunch time to prostrate himself before her and tearfully beg her forgiveness for leakin' what he'd seen between Ground Zero and herself…which leads to a very different kinda conversation with her parents after he scuttles out.)

Later in the day, Deku takes a call that has him beatin' a speedy retreat. He spares time only to wave goodbye and mumble a promise to return soon before he's gone –and as though he alone'd been holdin' back the flood, her room's suddenly awash with well-wishers: first Tenya and Momo, bearing flowers and restorative tea, respectively; then Todoroki, who provides much-coveted updates on what's happening at the agency in the aftermath of the Incident, and commends her on a job well done with artless candor n' a rare, soft smile; then Eri –escorted by _Monoma_ of all people, whom Ochako _still _never expects, even though he'd won himself a seat in the pantheon of Eri's most cherished people long ago—who conveys greetings from a number of her former teachers while Monoma uncharacteristically reins in his natural tsundere* inclinations, maybe out of consideration for her parents…? Mina shows up, as well, arms overflowing with contraband sweets her mom immediately confiscates (to Ochako's great dismay), and Kyouka arrives not long after that, to drop off a brand new, deluxe-model rice cooker and a pair of swanky, expensive-lookin' headphones.

Ochako eyes that rice cooker _hard_ as she insists she couldn't possibly accept such extravagant gifts, but Kyouka's already motioning for her to stop.

"Thanks to you and Sparky," Kyouka winks, "I've recently come into some money." Ochako's cheeks _burn_ as snatches of the conversation followin' the Registry's miniaturization filter back into her memory and help her piece together exactly what Kyouka means. "Honestly, this's the least I can do."

Shortly after Kyouka departs, as the sun's settin' on another full day of no Bakugou, Kirishima visits, with Kaminari and Hitoshi in tow. Kirishima gushes over her poignant manliness –which, in mixed company and with the gag order in effect, is as specific as he can get about praising her efforts at the Registry—and introduces himself to her parents with deep bows and robust handshakes. Meanwhile, Kaminari zaps her phone back to life where it's layin' chargerless an' dead on the bedside table, perches his elbows on her bed rail, and eagerly offers to read her some of the choicest contributions added to the Double-Dots-On-Lock hashtag since _**The**__ News_.

A tired sigh breaks from behind him as Hitoshi sidles up and gently, yet unmistakably, nudges Kaminari aside.

Ignoring Kaminari's puppy-eyed, quiver-lipped disappointment, "Hey there," he says, his weary half-grin strengthening an already uncanny resemblance to Aizawa-sensei. He holds aloft a clear, plastic measuring cup, sealed at the top with layers of insulating tape and yellow biohazard stickers. "Deku sent me." _Deku_, she notes, not Bakugou.

Kirishima quiets so her parents can listen in, too, as Hitoshi reveals what's in the cup (half a liters' worth of _saliva_) and what's meant to be done with it.

"I've gotta…" she parrots in horror, "_drink it_?"

"Sorry," he commiserates, "but there's good news, too."

The cup of spit, he goes on to explain, comes from a researcher in Indonesia whose own glandular secretions are the focus of her study. To date, she's discovered and patented thirty-one astonishing medical applications for her bodily fluids. With a mildly sinister grin, Hitoshi tells Ochako the 'good news' is that the thing they need to revitalize her compromised metabolism is the researcher's _spit_, and not…something else. Ochako goes a touch green at the gills, considerin' the 'something else' alternatives while Hitoshi continues, wagglin' the fingers of his free hand,

"Also I'm here, if I might interest you in some light brainwashing…?" The last time she was under the influence of his quirk was years ago, in a class exercise, but she remembers the disorientatin' aftermath, the hazy-dark _nothing_ where her recollection of the preceding moments should be. Later, she'd equate the experience to being blackout drunk –not so fun once it's done, but not something fearful, either, least not when she's with people she trusts.

Ochako trusts Hitoshi implicitly, and accepts the offer he's making to use his quirk to command her to drink the…fluid, agreeing that's a memory she could bear livin' without.

He nods, passing the cup to her mom as her dad helps prop her up to get this nastiness over an' done with.

The last thing she remembers is Hitoshi asking her if she's 'ready,' just like Bakugou always does before blastin' off with her attached to his person in one configuration or other.

"Ready," she replies, suddenly sad.

And then her consciousness blinks off, and she doesn' feel anything at all.

/-/

No one'd been warned to expect that the, er, _drink_ would knock Ochako out while her body went to work repairing itself, so when she finally awakens –an entire _day_ later—everyone in the room (which at the moment consists of her parents, Deku, Hitoshi, Mina, and a fox-faced nurse) heaves a collective sigh of relief.

Learning she'd lost a day's alarming, but when she realizes how much _better _she feels, the sharp fright that something's gone wrong subsides. She still can't move much below the neck, but she's given a clean bill of health otherwise and moved from the intensive care ward to a more secluded wing of the hospital, reserved specially for recovering Pro Heroes. She's quick to reassure everyone –Deku and Hitoshi, in particular, who look wracked with guilt—it was all worth it, that she's exhausted but feelin' stronger'n ever.

/-/

Later that same day, as the boys leave and Mina n' her parents drop off into a dead sleep, _just _as Ochako's getting secretly _very_ worried about why no one'll give her any straightforward info on Bakugou's whereabouts, a pair of dark-suit types wearin' sunglasses indoors commandeer her room for a pretty upsetting 'routine debrief,' kickin' her loved ones out and combing the room for quirk-related recording equipment before finally sitting down to speak with her.

In the first few minutes of the interview, she finds out Bakugou's bein' held at a nearby government facility 'til they've 'ascertained to their satisfaction' that he, specifically, had done everything in his power to prevent the other night's catastrophic outcome, and her heart sinks.

They swear he's being treated well and that he's free to leave at any time, insisting he's there on a voluntary basis to help them assemble a clearer picture of what'd happened to necessitate poppin' the Registry into a ziploc baggie. But Ochako can read between the lines, and doubts he's getting anything less than third degree, thanks in no small part, surely, to the assumptions people _still_ make about the 'inherent' and 'excessive violence' of his character.

If she cries bitter tears in the course of her own, comparatively much breezier interrogation (for her, the whole ordeal's over in less than an hour, and seems more aimed at corroborating Bakugou's account than takin' hers), or answers the odd question about the 'integrity' of Bakugou's judgment with angry defensiveness, it's only because he doesn't deserve such insulting, unfounded suspicion. He's one of the strongest and bravest and _best_ heroes in the industry, and one of the most self-sacrificing and hard-working and unexpectedly, amazingly thoughtful people she's ever known, to boot!

But when Ochako tells 'em as much, stone faces stare back at her, unmoved by her passionate outburst.

The pair see themselves out shortly thereafter, thanking her for her time as they go, leavin' her to stew in outrage.

/-/

Late, _late_ into the evening, Ochako stirs in her sleep, awakened by the shaft of light spillin' suddenly into her room and the low-toned chatter at her door. Blinkin' against the brightness, it takes her a minute to make out the shock of blonde hair, the broad back, the dark, well-fitted shirt and baggy sweats: _Bakugou_.

With a lump in her throat, she watches him bow his head to her mom and then, more stiffly, to her dad, who locks eyes with Bakugou as he _barely_lowers his head, engaging in what Ochako recognizes instantly as one among many kinds of fated battles between men.

The contest ends prematurely when her mom hooks her dad's elbow and marches him away, waving back to Bakugou with a smile n' a wink as they move outta the frame of her doorway and disappear down the hall. Bakugou's hackles don't lower 'til several seconds later, presumably after her dad's finally out of sight.

Then, pivoting coolly on his heel, he steals into the room on loafer-padded feet and slides the door shut behind him, plungin' the space back into semi-dark silence.

Bakugou's shadowed form looms large, and his red eyes shine lustrous, reflectin' a point of light from somewhere outside her window.

"You up?"

Tummy tyin' itself in knots, she manages only a meek, "Yeah," which's all he's waiting for –in the next second, his hand's on her cheek, combing back into her hair, and he's leaning down to press his lips to her forehead.

It's too much: her body's been at war with itself for the past few days and it's been physically and psychically _exhausting_; and he _disappeared_ and no one would tell her where he _was_ and the whole time it turns out he was bein' _detained_, suspected of wrongdoing and subjected to who-knows-what manner o' unpleasantness; and it breaks her heart he had to go through that all alone, right after he saved her and helped protect the _whole city_, and she wants more than _anything _to reach out and touch him but she _can't_, and the tears're spillin' over before she can stop 'em—

"Oi, cut it out," Bakugou grumbles, gently pinchin' at her cheeks as he rights himself. "What the shit am I supposed to think if you fucking _cry_ every time I kiss you?"

To be fair, Ochako thinks sullenly, she's only cried when he kissed her _once_ before now, and she'd been floating the Registry at the time, so it seems a little unfair to hold that against her. And anyway, _she'd_ kissed _him_, not the other way around!

She catches herself, recognizing the remark for the provocation it definitely is. Unlike days prior, when she'd been luggin' around tens of thousands of tons of industrial material, she's got her wits about her, and she's not gonna let him wind her up and pull her off-course again. She's upset and she _will not be deterred _'til she says her freaking piece!

"It's," she sniffles, "it's not _right_." Shamefully, Ochako won't grasp that Bakugou misunderstands this opinion as a direct response to his question until much, much later. She _does_ perceive the cold stillness settling between 'em, but waves it off, seein' it as more the result of her hittin' on a subject he doesn't wanna discuss. "I can't believe they just…picked you up and _confined you_! They tried to tell me you 'volunteered' to stay, but that's crap and they knew I knew it –they were _countin'_ on you to surrender yourself to their custody for as long as they wanted, 'cause you're a hero and you _have to_!" She's beginnin' to be able to discern the finer details of his features in the ash-matte wash of the darkness, but doesn't stop to wonder why his strangely mute, _closed_ expression flickers with surprise. "What possible authority could they've had to hold ya' for _four days_without cause? I'll bet they didn't even let'cha contact an attorney—"

"Nah, they let me call the shark in," Bakugou interrupts, glib, crookin' a grin as he slouches back into the recliner at her beside.

Ochako, officially on a tirade, ignores him completely.

"They had _no right_," she reiterates, "and they're a buncha jerks n' they oughtta be _ashamed_ of themselves! You helped _save the city_!"

"Pretty sure that was all you, Cheeks."

"Don't argue with me," she snaps. "Where would they be if you hadn't been there? Where would _I _be? You made a hard choice and you saved my _life_! You were _injured_ and _grieving _and you're a _good_ hero and a good _person _and they had no **right**!" His grin's gone feral, and he looks infuriatingly _entertained_. "S-stop enjoyin' this!" Flush with residual anger and fresh embarrassment, Ochako tries to hide her face in her hands, remembers after a moment of sick displacement that's not an option, and whips her head in the opposite direction.

"You're hot when you're pissed," Bakugou says, like it's easy.

Meanwhile, Ochako's _swooning_. It's not fair!

"Your folks'll be back in an hour or two. They're headed to a bathhouse in the area," he tells her, voice all smug around the edges. "And tomorrow, got a lady comin' in from abroad to massage away all your nerve and tissue damage. You'll probably need a little physical therapy after, but you should be back up and suplexing buildings in a week, tops." _That _draws her gaze back toward Bakugou. He must've continued searchin' out fix-it quirks even while he had no direct way to communicate with the outside world, prob'ly though the agency's lawyer, whom he claims was with him during his detainment.

To deflect the swell of strange, fluttery happiness this insight brings her, she scrambles to change the subject—"You know 'cause o' your stunt the other day, the _whole world's_ talkin' about us?" –-and lands on something infinitely more awkward.

"Good," he proclaims, sounding proud. "They were gonna find out fucking immediately either way; better to control the terms and have the bomb go off when neither of us could catch any flack for it." She blinks at him, impressed for the hundred-thousandth time by his on-the-spot foresight. "Everyone we've ever fucking met knew already, anyway."

_Not my folks_, Ochako thinks, but decides to keep to herself.

She's got heavier things weighin' on her mind.

"You don't…" she hates herself for asking, for doubting, but she can't help it, she has to _know_, "regret it?" She braces herself for the answer, bitin' her lip and forcing herself to hold his gaze.

"Fuck no," Bakugou replies, no equivocating, no hint o' hesitation.

Sure she's lit up like a festival lantern, Ochako releases the breath she had no idea she'd been holding, weight lifted.

"Me, either."

No sooner'n she speaks it, Bakugou's loomin' over her again, hands sinkin' into her pillow on either side of her head, face pulled toward hers by an irresistible gravity, smirk widening as he closes the gap.

Against her lips, in an arrogant undertone: "Obviously."

It's the last either of 'em says for some time.

* * *

*tsundere - fluffy, marshmallow filling encased in a Pure Turd shell (character archetype)

/-/

other notes:

-i see y'all sleepin' on iida/mei.  
-MONOMA IS GOING TO BE ONE OF ERI'S FAVORITE PEOPLE, I CAN FEEEEEEEEEL IIIIIIIIIIIIIT-  
-yes, the money jirou 'recently came into' is the crazy winnings from the pool our 1-a alum started (see this tumblr post for headcanons regarding how said pool exploded into being). she's absolutely going to buy bakugou a present, too, probably in the form of a kickass new drum kit, because you BETTER BELIEVE THEY STILL JAM SOMETIMES.  
-much like bakugou and camie, shinsou and uraraka are *also* on first-name basis, whaaaaaaaa. i lowkey *hardcore* love shinsou, and i think everyone in the universe probably knows i love uraraka at this point, so ofc my brain insists it's inevitable these two are going to be Best Friends in the future.  
-you might think bakuho was just being snarky with his 'shark' remark, but the reality is much sillier than that: Kamino Pizza Agency's lawyer-on-retainer is an actual, literal shark-person. because puns.  
-no more detours, chums. next stop: PORN! 3


End file.
